From Bunk Beds To 5-Star Hotels, Women's Cricket Surges Forward With Its Standalone T20 World Cup

For a really long time, the worlds of men's and women's cricket shared a wide gap in pay structure, popularity and facilities. But, while things are getting better, they, thankfully, aren't the same anymore for women's cricket.

Today, women cricketers have not only managed to carve their own niche, but their exploits on the field have made the game more popular among fans, who were earlier glued to men's events.

Adding to its rise over the years, women's cricket is now set to witness a historic event - one that clearly highlights how far it has come. Breaking away from the shadows of their male counterparts, women's cricket now boasts of a standalone 2018 World T20, which is slated to begin from 9th November in the Caribbean.

For the first time in history, women's cricket will have a showpiece ICC event that will not be a precursor or filler for the men's tournament.

While the upcoming event surely marks the new age of women's cricket, it's journey over the years has been worth talking. Reflecting on the evolution of women's game, Indian women's star Jhulan Goswami gave an insight into how far they've come.

Jhulan, the only bowler in the women's game with over 200 ODI wickets, reflected on her time in international cricket and also looked ahead to the upcoming World T20 in West Indies. “I remember staying in an accommodation with bunk beds for my first World Cup, in 2005. For domestic matches, we often travelled unreserved in trains, and played on grounds where getting injured would have been very easy,” the 35-year-old wrote in her column for the ICC.

“There were countless junior tournaments where we stayed in dormitories and slept on mattresses on the floor. There's been such a massive change to women's cricket since I started playing,” she said.

The World Cup's league matches will be played in Guyana and St Lucia from 9-18 November with the two semifinals and the final in Antigua on 22nd and 24th November, respectively. This being the first ever standalone Women's World T20, Jhulan feels it will generate more publicity.

“I was a part of all the previous ICC Women's World T20s right from the first one in 2009…Those were tournaments held alongside the men; yes, people were watching, and there was good publicity for the women's games, but what I found was that by having it simultaneously with the men, the women would be in the shadows,” she added.

On the previous world events being held simultaneously with the men's tournaments, she said: “Before the semifinals, people would not be aware about the women's games, as only the semifinals and the final were televised. So, we didn't get the publicity that we should have received”.

Recalling the 2017 World Cup as the best in terms of organisation, Jhulan said things started to change with the 2009 edition in Australia. “I recall so many funny memories when I think about multiple teams sharing one bathroom. Back then, the IWCC (International Women's Cricket Council) and the WCAI (Women's Cricket Association of India) did a very creditable job with the resources they had," she said.

“But we could really see the difference in the 2009 World Cup in Australia, which was the first one organised by the ICC. All of a sudden, we had the best hotels, great grounds, a daily allowance. “Even for domestic tournaments, the BCCI's entry meant that flights replaced trains. Instead of fighting other passengers for a place to sit, we fought with each other for window seats!,” she concluded.

The last few years have been transformational for the women's game and there is much greater interest and curiosity among spectators across the globe.

Ever since its inception in 2004, International Women's T20 cricket has also come a long way as it no longer needs to feed of the men's version to grab limelight or fanfare. The women's game, now, thrives on the popularity of its own games and heroes who will be eager to prove their mettle once again in the historic event in the Caribbean.